Trainee police constable dies in Bengal, colleagues block road

Trainee state armed police constables staged an agitation at the training facility at Salua on Tuesday after Biju Pal (22) died. They alleged that Pal could not take physical pressure.

Biju Pal, a 22-year-old trainee constable died on Tuesday at the training facility of the West Bengal state armed police at Salua in West Midnapore.

Trainee constables of the Bengal armed police alleged on Tuesday that physical exercises at the Salua facility were gruelling.(HT File Photo)

Other trainees staged an agitation alleging that Pal, a resident of Ashoknagar in the North 24 Parganas district, died because of the physical challenges the authorities made them face.

The trainees blocked the Kharagpore-Keshiary road for more than two hours. The agitation was lifted after IG (western range) Rajeev Mishra and director of Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy, J Jayraman, talked to the trainees and assured them that an inquiry would be conducted.

Salua houses the head quarters of the Eastern Frontier Rifles and the training institute of the state armed police.

The Bengal Police constables joined the training session two months ago. They alleged that four trainees fell ill on Tuesday because they couldn’t take the physical challenge. The authorities refuted the charges, saying the youths were going through standard drills.

The trainees were taken to Kharagpore Hospital where doctors referred Pal to Midnapore Medical College Hospital. Pal died on the way. News of his death triggered the agitation.

Senior police officers said the training module was prepared following standard rules and the constables faced no extra pressure because of the physical exercise and drills. Pal might have had a heart problem that was never detected, the officers said.